TrackCoach wrote:
If you are born and raised at altitude, 4500 ft isn't too significant; however, that is a great time at sea level.
This is a common misconception, but science tells us otherwise. VO2 max suffers enough above 4000' for it to be statistically significant. For those adapted to the altitude, which Saarel clearly is, we can expect a drop in VO2 max of 3-4%, which corresponds to running about 2.4-3.2% faster at sea level. Conservatively we can estimate an 8:49 to equal 8:36.3.
The 3K is effected more at this altitude than any other distance...says me. This kid is the real deal.